Breakfast with Xolani Gwala

Economists have predicted a slight increase in economic growth and decrease in food inflation after summer rains brought some relief to the drought.

South African Weather Service chief scientist, Dr Joel Botai, says the country should expect normal rain conditions, but cautioned that the drought is not over yet.

Remember that we have had various phases of drought conditions and because we stayed for more than four years in these conditions, it will take us a little bit more to recover.

— Dr Joel Botai, South African Weather Service chief scientist

As much as we expect normal rainfalls, it's not obvious that we will recover completely.

— Dr Joel Botai, South African Weather Service chief scientist

Botai also explained the impact of La Nina on weather conditions in Southern Africa.

La Nina is the cooling of sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean which influences atmospheric circulation and consequently rainfall and temperature in specific areas around the world.

He says it's expected to enhance normal rain conditions.

But there is caution here, for us to comprehensively say that we are moving towards a neutral state, we need at least three consecutive months of monitoring.

— Dr Joel Botai, South African Weather Service chief scientist

The impact of weakening La Nina or tending towards neutral is a complex process. We need to understand how much moisture that trade wind that's moving in the Pacific, from East to the West, are carrying as well as neighbourhood conditions, for example the Indian Ocean.